


No Shame

by callistawolf



Series: AUs are Sexy [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, First Meetings, Meet-Cute, Strangers, Trapped In Elevator, Walk Of Shame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-18 10:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5925547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callistawolf/pseuds/callistawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>based off a prompt: We live in the same block of flats but haven’t ever talked and Sunday morning we were both doing the walk of shame and had to stand in the lift together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Shame

**Author's Note:**

> Just a one shot, nothing else planned. But I really liked the prompt, as a way of meeting.

This was the  _ last _ time, Felicity promised herself as she got in the elevator on the top floor of her apartment building. Ray was hot, that was true, but beyond the sex there was just nothing  _ there _ and Felicity had never had much patience for wasting her time. She knew he wanted more with her, but she couldn’t even imagine a relationship with him.  They were too alike.  Or maybe, not enough alike. She wasn’t sure. And the point was, she wasn’t interested in finding out. But Felicity did want a relationship with  _ someone _ , she just didn’t know who yet. 

She was still young, yes, but screwing around with guys outside of relationships just felt like something she’d already outgrown but didn’t know how to stop doing. And, yeah, it might be nice to actually be in a relationship with someone for a change. The last time she’d tried was her senior year of college and while it’d turned out terrible, she’d really enjoyed having Cooper in her life while it lasted. It was nice to know you had someone to go to the movies with and to bring you flowers on Valentine’s Day. 

But work kept her so busy, she just didn’t have a chance to meet anyone to have a relationship with. And, god help her, she was horny. A woman had needs, for crying out loud, and while she was waiting for time to go find her Mr. Right, what was the harm in banging Mr. Not-Right in the meantime?

And, she recalled with a quirk of her lips as she punched the button for the 5th floor where her own apartment was located, Ray was super hot.

Felicity was remembering that thing her fuckbuddy had done with his tongue just hours ago when the elevator jerked to a stop and the doors opened, revealing a tall, handsome man. She bit back a groan as she moved to the side. It was Oliver Queen.  

Speaking of hot, she thought to herself. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, perhaps he was in here for the same reason she was. It was before 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning and while he wasn’t carrying a pair of high heels like she was, his cropped hair was mussed, he had a smear of lipstick on his neck, and his buttondown shirt was only partially buttoned. His suit jacket was draped over his arm.

Oliver Queen lived on the 5th floor too, at the end of the hall from where she lived. She’d seen him in the halls or elevator many times, ever since he’d moved in six weeks before. Plus, she saw him at work almost every day. He was, after all, technically her boss. 

Felicity didn’t work with him, their paths never crossed professionally, but his office was on the same floor as the CIO, whom, she reported to and had frequent meetings with.  Oliver was the Queen family scion, the heir to the kingdom that was Queen Consolidated. He’d taken the CEO position from his father just the year before, but the leadership position sat well on his shoulders. It was a good thing, because Felicity had been concerned, at first. Oliver’s name was in the tabloids more often than not, with plenty of lurid details about his society exploits. 

Clearly, that gossip was grounded in some truth, given his rumpled appearance and the fact that he didn’t live on the 20th floor where he’d just gotten on. But Felicity wasn’t one to judge, seeing as how she was on the very same trek. 

“Hey,” she said, offering him a small smile and lifting the hand that held her heels in a semi-wave. 

He smiled back, his cerulean blue eyes skating over her. He knew just what he was seeing; in addition to her bare feet, her hair was tumbled but finger-combed around her shoulders, her face was washed free of smudges leaving her makeup free, her dress was short and flirty, displaying a good deal of leg and cleavage. She’d run into Ray at the club last night. She’d made it look like a coincidence but the truth was, she’d known he’d be there and went with him in mind. 

“Hey… Felicity, right?” he said. 

“You know my name?” They’d never so much as exchanged a hello before. How did he know her name? 

“Of course I do.  Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.” 

Felicity fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I know that.  You’re my boss’ boss and you’re in all the newspapers all the time.” 

Oliver chuckled. Before he could say anything, the elevator jerked to a stop and the lights flickered. Felicity might have panicked if this hadn’t already happened to twice already this week, eight times in the last month. The stupid elevator was  _ always _ getting stuck.  From the groaning noise he made, Oliver was well versed in this quirk as well even though he’d only lived in the building six weeks.  

He did what all the residents of this building did when the elevator had one of it’s…  _ moments _ .  He opened the panel underneath the buttons and pulled out the phone that rang the lobby.  After a moment, he spoke. “Yes, this is Oliver Queen. I’m in the southside elevator, stuck between the--” He peered up at the numbers on the display. “--10th and 9th floors.  Mmmhmm.  Yes.  Yes,  _ again _ . Okay, thanks.”  He hung up the phone and turned to her with a shake of his head. 

“The repair guy is on his way.”

“Fantastic,” Felicity muttered.  “At least I don’t have anywhere I need to be. Other than a hot shower and my own bed.”

“I hear that,” he said quietly.  “Well, we may as well get comfortable for the time being. It always takes them a good half hour to get this thing up and going again.”

Didn’t she know it. 

They both slid down until they were sitting on the floor. Felicity tried to arrange her skirt so she was decent but she was also just exhausted enough that she didn’t really care if she wasn’t. 

“So, are you out for coffee?” she asked him, her tone light. 

He tilted his head at her, his expression utterly deadpan. “Felicity. I live on the same floor as you.  You know that. I’ve seen you there countless times.”

She shrugged and smiled at him. “Would you rather I ask how your booty call went?”

Oliver laughed at that, his head thrown back and she joined in, unable to resist his infectious amusement. “Okay, point taken.”  Again, he looked down her body. Was that… appreciation she saw in his gaze? The thought made a little flare of pleasure spread through her. “I guess it’s kind of obvious we’re both on the walk of shame, isn’t it?” 

Felicity scoffed good-naturedly at that. “Shame? What shame? Walk of satisfaction, maybe,” she said with a smirk. 

That made him chuckle again. “Okay, maybe I’m the only one who’s ashamed.” 

“Why are you ashamed? There’s nothing wrong with no-strings-attached sex,” Felicity told him. Then, she winced. “Unless, of course, you were with a girlfriend. I mean, it’s kind of presumptuous of me to assume she was just some random hook-up, isn’t it? Then again, if she  _ is _ your girlfriend, why are you with her right now, cuddling in bed where it’s warm and comfortable? Plus, I’m pretty sure the tabloids--”

Oliver held up a hand, grinning. “Okay, you can stop right there.  No, she’s not a girlfriend. And yes, you’re right. There isn’t anything wrong with no-strings-attached sex. Unless the person you have it with is reprehensible in every way and you  _ know _ better.”

Felicity winced. “Yikes. So… hate sex?”

“Something like that.” He ran his hands over his head and groaned. “I don’t know what came over me. Except I was lonely and horny and, ugh, you must think I’m a total creep.”

“Of course not. No judgement here.  Remember, I came from my own no-strings night of fun.”

“Yeah, but not with a villain.”  He paused and looked at her, his eyes considering. “Unless… he’s a villain?  Or she? I’m sorry…”

“Now it’s my turn to stop you. It’s a he. And no, he’s not a villain. I believe ‘fuck buddy’ is the more accurate term.”

“Ahh, so it was a booty call,” he said knowingly, smiling. 

“Yeah, pretty much.  Same as you, in a way. I was lonely. And horny.  I mean, he’s a nice guy but I get the impression he’d like something more.”

“And you don’t?”

Felicity shook her head. “No, not with him, at least. I mean, he’s hot and the sex is fun but he’s just… not it for me.”

“You sound pretty sure.”

“When you know, you know. I like having sex with Ray but the romantic feelings… just aren’t there.”

“Ray… Ray Palmer?” Oliver asked. 

“Yeah? You know him?”

“We’ve been working on a bit of a merger with Palmer Tech, actually.”

“That’s pretty ironic.  You know, considering I work for you.  And he’s a billionaire. And you’re a billionaire. And why would two billionaires and one very intelligent IT expert who gets paid very well for her skills live in a building that has such a crappy elevator?” 

Oliver’s grin deepened. “It’s a good location. With a nice view of the bay. And lovely neighbors.”

She smiled back at him, falling into the warmth of his eyes. Yes, Oliver Queen was hot.  He might even be hotter than Ray. But it wasn’t just that. She’d felt more connection talking to him these last minutes than she had talking to anyone for months. 

They kept talking while waiting for the elevator repairman to work his magic and, to be honest, Felicity barely noticed the passage of time. He told her about his family, particularly his little sister whom he was very fond of. She told him about her mother and how the two of them were polar opposites but her mother had never stopped championing for Felicity’s education and goals, even while holding down two jobs on the Las Vegas strip. He talked about his best friends, Tommy Merlyn and John Diggle and Felicity talked about her old college roommate, Iris West, whom she was going to visit at the end of the month. He loved football and grilled steaks. She loved sci fi tv shows and Italian food. They both loved wine. 

As the elevator lurched back to life, Oliver got to his feet and extended a hand to help pull her to hers.  Without her heels on, she barely reached his collarbone. He kept her hand in his, squeezing it a little as the elevator continued its descent once again. 

“Hey, since you love wine and I love wine and I actually have some  _ very _ good wine at my apartment… why don’t you come over tonight for a drink?” he suggested. “You can show me your favorite sci fi tv show on Netflix.”

Felicity raised an eyebrow and considered, biting her lip. On anyone else, that would sound like the cheesiest, worst sort of line. Shoot, even with him saying it, it sounded ridiculous. But she wanted to say yes. Because she wanted to get to know Oliver Queen a little better.  She wanted to ask him what his favorite songs were, if he liked to dance, if her preferred dogs or cats. She also wanted to find out if he preferred boxers or briefs. 

“Okay,” she said, as the doors opened on the fifth floor.  They stepped out, still holding hands and he walked her down to her door together. “This is me.”

He stopped and squeezed her hand again before releasing her. “Come by around 8?” 

Felicity nodded, giving him one of her lopsided winks that Iris had always teased her about. “I’ll be there. Want me to bring anything?” 

He shook his head as he backed away, towards his door at the end of the hall. “Just you.”

As Felicity let herself into her apartment, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. Maybe it’d be another no-strings-attached hook-up.  Or maybe it could be the start of something more. That  _ something more _ that she was yearning for. The romantic spark hadn’t been there with Ray, Felicity was certain of that.  But thirty minutes trapped in an elevator with Oliver Queen had shown her that it was definitely there with him. 

Time would tell. 

**Author's Note:**

> in case you were wondering, the hate-sex Oliver was regretting was indeed with Isabel Rochev. Who else, right?


End file.
